9 Places I Want To Visit Before I Die

I have had the great fortune of having travelled to some of the most amazing and beautiful places in the world, including outstanding countries such as Costa Rica and Thailand, and classic beautiful, heritage filled cities such as Prague, but there are still a number of places I would love to visit before I die. Nine of the most interesting places I would like to visit (when I can afford it) are below.

As I have not been to these places, they are places I have seen on the internet or in books, I do not own the rights to any of the images used, they are all from internet sources such as travel websites and news websites - all website sources are listed under the relevant locations.

1 | Zhangye Danxia Landform, China

image from: www.chinahighlights.com

2 | Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

www.lonelyplanet.com/bolivia

3 | Angkor Wat, Cambodia

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel.activityandadventure.trip-of-a-lifetime

4 | Bamboo Forest, Japan

www.thousandwonders.net

5 | Pumukkale, Turkey

www.timelettings.com

6 | Venice, Italy

www.telegraph.co.uk

7 | Bora Bora, French Polynesia

www.tripadvisor.com

8 | Tulip Fields, Netherlands

www.dailymail.co.uk

9 | Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland

www.travel.nationalgeographic.com

Hopefully you have found some new and interesting places that you would like to visit. If you have visited any of these places, please let me know more about them in the comments below!

Twenty-Two In Flight Travel Essentials

Whenever I'm on a plane journey, and particularly if it's a long ride, I get bored quite easily stuck in a box in the sky. Flying generally makes me quite nauseous unless I have some essential things with me to make the time pass or calm me down. While this list might seem a bit excessive, I don't usually take all twenty-one of these things on a flight, it can vary dependent on what kind of flight I'm going with, what company I'm flying with and who I'm travelling with - but at some point I have had each of these items as one of my saviours in a plane! It is essential to note that all these items are in line with guidelines and laws with travelling from any airport in the United Kingdom (C)2015.

Hand Cream | The Body Shop Mango Hand Cream
I get dry skin at the best of times, but on planes it can get worse, especially if I'm travelling to a hotter country, I tend to need more moisturising creams when I'm there too, so it's nice to have something for when I get off the plane ready. The mango hand cream from The Body Shop is perfect for this as it smells incredible, and doesn't leave a greasy feel to your hands at all, plus its only a 30ml bottle, so passes airport restrictions and is a reasonable price at only £3.50.

Headphones | Kondor Kit Sound Out-Run In-Ear Headphones
I really like these headphones, and these kind of headphones. The in-ear buds allow for really good sound cancelling and they are surprisingly comfortable to wear. Whenever I travel I like to lean on a pillow or a surface, so these are much better and much less space taking than other headphones, particularly full head ones. The small ear pieces slot perfectly into your ear and mean that they are really secure and comfortable. They are also bluetooth and wireless which means you're not getting tangled in wires in a confined space. They are a little pricey at £49.95 from John Lewis, but are completely worth it. 

Tablet | iPad Mini 2
Tablets are full of things to do, especially to keep you entertained on long flights, whether it's entertaining you via a film or a magazine app on your own, or playing a game app with your flight companions! I always find it nicer to have a larger screen, as trying to read my magazine app on my phone is a nightmare! I find this a great addition to my flight if I have any work to be getting on with, as it can be a much simpler option than using a laptop, as well as much more space forgiving.

Water Bottle | Vapur Element Wind Reusable Plastic Water Bottle
I love this bottle for travelling. It's foldable and flexible, so is perfect for saving space in your bag and not having to take a plastic bottle with you that will take up lots of space even when it's empty. This bottle also makes it really easy to measure how much liquid you have in your bottle, which is useful for flying especially! I love the design of this bottle too, and for only £12 from Amazon, it's perfect for a variety of occasions, not just for travelling.

Sleep Eye Mask | Soap and Glory Eyes Cool Sleep Mask
I find it difficult to sleep if there is light in the room, which is something you can't get away from when flying especially. I love sleep masks for this exact reason, and having the added bonus of the cooling effect of this Soap and Glory mask for just £6 is amazing.

Chewing Gum | Wringley's Extra Ice White
I always carry chewing gum with me for when I'm out. Flying is an especially traumatic time for me, particularly when I'm on long flights and can't brush my teeth. I hate the feeling of eating and still not having been able to brush my teeth ages later. Having chewing gum is a saviour in this sense, and I like to get the Extra Ice White variety because it tastes really nice and has small bits in which clean your teeth better.

Snacks | Dried Fruit and Nuts
If your flight doesn't have a meal option, snacks such as dried fruits and nuts are really good as they are both healthy and filling. They are also really good for sharing! Keeping yourself well hydrated and nourished on a flight is important.

Travel Sweets | Smith Kendon Mixed Fruit Travel Sweets
I don't always take the full tin on flights, usually just in the car or on a train, but I find these sweet really tasty and really useful for stopping that irritating ear-popping sensation when flying, which I get without fail! I suck on one or two of these whilst taking off and landing and all is fine! They are also a good snack option if you want to save space and kill two birds with one stone.

Travel Pillow | Go Travel Super Snoozer Inflatable Travel Pillow
Travel pillows are so good to have. I always find travelling makes me tired, and there is nothing worse than having to manoeuvre yourself in a confined space to be able to rest your head without putting your neck in an uncomfortable position which will leave you grumpy for the next few hours, or accidentally ending up sleeping on the shoulder of a stranger! I particularly like this one from John Lewis as it's only £9.99 and the inflatable feature means it takes up barely any space in any handbag or carry on.

Phone | iPhone 5c
Does this one really need explaining? I use my phone to listen to my music on planes mainly, and to take some snaps on the flight without having to drag out my big camera, which i usually wrap in a million t-shirts in my main suitcase.

Charger | iPhone 5+ & iPad Charger
I usually take a phone charger with me if it's an incredibly long flight, rather than putting it in my main suitcase. It's very rare you will find a charger port on a plane, but in the airport, it's always a good idea to make sure things are fully charged for the journey ahead!

Book | The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
This is just the book I'm reading again at the moment by Mark Haddon, but any book will do. There's nothing wrong with expanding your literary prowess when flying, plus I always find it makes it easier to sleep if I read, and makes time fly.

Puzzle Book | Puzzler
Puzzler is just my favourite option, but any puzzle book is fine. They are fun to do on your own or with friends, and can pass the time whilst still keeping your brain active.

Pens | Owl Pen
This is my favourite pen from Paper Chase for £6.99. I love owls, and so I like to use this one when I know I'm going to be stuck somewhere not so fun for a long period of time. Having a pen is always a useful thing to have, especially if you want to kill some time with writing or puzzles or drawing.

Hand Sanitiser | Carex Hand Gel Aloe Vera
Washing your hands pre- or post-meal time on planes is a nightmare, so I always like to take some hand sanitiser with me. At the moments I'm using the Carex Aloe Vera hand gel which is really moisturising as well as an anti-bacterial hand gel.

Tissues | Kleenex Balsam Tissues
Another useful thing to have just generally. I have these in my handbag more often than not, especially the balsam tissues as I tend to find I am more likely to get a cold when travelling as I find planes can be quite chilly some times.

Facial Wipes | Simple Kind to Skin Facial Cleansing Wipes (mini)
The miniature packs on face wipes, which generally have 7 or 8 wipes in are brilliant for travelling. I find it really nice to re-do my make up when travelling, and use facial cleansing wipes to clean your make up of the day off leaves you feeling very refreshed and ready to start your holiday as soon as you arrive. They are also useful to freshen up other areas (I won't go into detail) if you're on a long haul flight. I like using the Simple because I have quite sensitive skin and it can get oily when travelling at altitude.

Body Spray | Soap and Glory Mist You Madly (mini)
In keeping with the miniatures theme (which are perfect for passing airport security and saving on space in your carry on luggage) the Soap and Glory body spray smells incredible and is only £3.50. It's perfect for your whole holiday to throw in a bag and keep you smelling nice. I always feel much better after a spritz, especially when I've been cooped up in a confined space for ages.

Deodorant | Sure Women Compressed Clear Pure Crystal Antiperspirant
The compressed deodorants are great for holidays as they will last as long as a normal spray and are good for size and airport restrictions. I like to use the Clear Pure Crystal by Sure because it's great for white clothing, which I tend to wear a lot of when travelling. Plus, at only £2.10 they are a great deal.

Chapstick | Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast
When travelling somewhere where the temperature is different, and especially when travelling in a high altitude, dry atmosphere like on a plane, chapstick is always a must have. I like using the Blistex chapsticks because they are also medicated and incredibly moisturising! Why the Raspberry Lemonade flavour? Because it tastes amazing - and is only £1.75!

Cover | Oversized Scarf Herringbone
Whilst they provide blankets on planes, I always feel more comfortable using my own. Blankets can be quite troublesome to get on planes, and can take up a lot of space, so I prefer to use an oversized scarf, which can be worn or tied around the top of my bag instead of taking up luggage space. It makes an really home-comforting blanket as well, and is perfect for sleeping. My favourite one at the moment, which I also use as a blanket at home when watching films, is this one from Asos, which is only £20.

What kind of things do you like taking in your luggage? What can you not live without on a plane? Let me know in the comments down below.

Not forgetting...the case!

Whilst I don't currently own this case, I am determined by the time I go on my next holiday to own this Ted Baker 'Hard Sided 4 Wheel Cascade Floral Cabin Case'. At £199 it is quite expensive, but I am in love with the rose gold colours and the floral patterns. It's really light weight and the 4 wheels make it really easy to take with you with your larger main suitcase as well. At the moment I have a tiny Tesco over night case, which is really good, but a little too small for a long haul flight. But at £15 I can't complain, it has served me well!

Harry Potter Studio Tour Adventure | Warner Bros. Studios

I am a massive Harry Potter fan, and after my Dad decided that going to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Watford would be a good birthday present for my Mum, i insisted that I was able to go along to. The Harry Potter books are some of the most iconic books of my generation, and have played a massive role in a number of people lives, especially kids! I fell in love with the world of Harry Potter that J.K.Rowling had created when I was just six years old, having my Mum read me the first couple of books as bedtime stories. They are the first books I have vivid memories of, and when the first film was released I was even more excited. Being eleven years old at the time and just starting high school myself, I was really excited that I would be the same age and living my high school educational career at the same pace (on the most part) as the characters and cast in the films. 

So...on to the magical world of Harry Potter in studio form...

Despite being a standard beige building on the outside, the sheer size of the studios and the enormous, actual chess pieces used in the films, outside, my excitement grew and grew as I got nearer the door. The first thing you are greeted with as you go in through the doors is huge pictures of some of the more involved cast members at different ages, which is incredible to see how much the actors all grew and changed throughout the films, even those who were adults from the first production.

The start of the tour is a general informative piece on the progression of the cast and the speed at which Harry Potter gripped so many places and became a global sensation from the desk of a secretary at Warner Bros. in 1996 to the multi-billion dollar franchise it is today. The story of how the books were selected to be made into film was fascinating, and there were a couple of surprise facts in there too for the die-hard Potter fans. You then move on to a cinema type layout, where you get to see the three main cast members (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint tell you about their experiences on the set and you get to learn more about the behind the scenes secrets which is really interesting and fun to see.

Then the real adventure begins as the doors to the actual set of the Great Hall open and you 

Moving through from the Great Hall, you are launched into an enormous building which is home to all the indoor sets, and the some of the many props that went towards making Harry Potter such an intricate and amazing franchise. I was actually in awe at how many of the props and sets they uses were actually built and used in the films rather than using CGI. There were a number of things, especially the Gringots carts, the moving parts of spoons in cauldrons and the vault doors, and even the moving lids on the trophies. Every detail looks as though it has been considered and designed so thoroughly, it's incredible to think that someone took the time to make each and every thing. Even if you're not a Harry Potter fan, this tour is totally worth seeing if not for the art and the design that's gone into each and every part - even the art work and the models that have been made for each set and action sequence is completely mapped out before filming takes place.

After trying some Butterbeer, which I have to admit wasn't my highlight - it tastes something like a mixture between cola and toffee, we moved to an outside section of the tour, where Number 4 Privet Drive is located along with the Knight Bus (something else which I thought was initially CGI on the whole in the film), and a full size section of the bridge between Hogwart's and Hagrid's Hut which you can walk through. More chess pieces also loomed over us, surrounding Mr Weasley's flying car, first seen in the Chamber of Secret's. I was a little distraught that we visited when we did, as in less than a months time they are opening a full size replica of Platform nine-and-three-quarters, which was just a large white tent for my visit.

After taking in the enormity of the life sized props that had been built, things got even more amazing when I walked through to the CGI section of the tour, where hundreds of prosthetics and mechanical intricacies are kept, including masks of all the Gringot's bank workers and life size prosthetic models of the cast members for the lake scene in the Goblet of Fire, and many more, including a massive Hagrid head, which was used as part of a suit worn in the actual filming on wide shots to give Hagrid his tall appearance (when using an almost 7 foot rugby player on stilts wasn't enough)! I was also astounded at the number of moving objects there were, including owls, mandrakes and even the book from the Prizoner of Azkaban which tries to eat everything in sight, which was remote controlled in the film. I was even more in awe when I went through to the next room to find a full size Aragog and Buckbeak (complete with moving parts).

The final part of the tour is possibly the most magical, as you get to walk through Diagon Alley (the real set used on the film) with such intricate detailing in the shop, it almost feels like you are walking down a real street, complete with moving parts in the Weasley's prank shop! To end the tour before hitting the incredible gift shop, in which you can purchase moving owls, every t-shirt you could imagine, every variety of sweet and chocolate you have ever seen in the films and read about in the books, some more intricate choice items and even replicas of wands from any character of your choosing (which amazing me how different, heavy and good quality they all were), we walked through an interior of Ollivander's, with hundreds of hand made, hand painted, wand boxes, each with the name of a member of the cast and crew (from the biggest starts to the runners) that worked on all eight of the films. It was at that point that it felt like the Harry Potter franchise was, as Daniel Radcliffe pointed out in the introductory film, one big family.

Possibly the most amazing part of the tour for me, I have to leave until the very end to mention - after seeing all the amazing pieces of art work and models for each and every scene in the films was an enormous model (made out of individual miniature shingles and bricks which took almost 9 months to complete) of the entire Hogwart's castle - which I was beyond amazed to find out they actually used for filming all the wide and sweeping shots (overlaid with some weather and characters of course) in the film - no CGI once again!

I was so amazed at the Harry Potter Studio Tour - it's worth a visit even if you're not a Harry Potter fan to see all the amazing work that's gone into it! You can catch my Vlog from the day on my YouTube channel or find it below!